Olive fruit grows best when summers are hot, long, and have low humidity. Then, you can easily grow it. There are various varieties of olive, the fruit varying in shape, size and flavour. Olive are too bitter to eat raw. However, they are either pressed for cooking or cured for table serving. The difference between black olives & green olives is simple. Green and black both are harvested. Black olives are harvested ripe, whereas green olives are harvested unripe. After being cured both, we get a tangy and salty flavour.
Olive cultivation requires the most important equipment, which plays a major role in agro-processing. Therefore, equipment, harvesters and tractors are the main ones in cultivating olive. Therefore, we recommend the Mahindra tractor.
Process of Olive Farming
Here below, you can attain information on olive farming in India.
Olives Farming – Best Climate and Site Requirement
- USDA zones 9 and 10 have optimal growth conditions for olives.
- Olives need a short winter to produce flowers; Mid-winter temperatures between 40° and 50°F are ideal. The olive tree can withstand freezing temperatures but will die below 12 °C.
- Olives can grow in full sun.
- Plant olive fruit in well-drained soil; Sandy loam is best, but olives adapt to most soils. Olives thrive ideal where the soil pH is between 5.5 and 8.5.
- Grow olives away from prevailing winds or winds. Avoid planting olives in a low location that collects cold wind or frost.
- Avoid planting olives where fallen fruit will stain walkways or patios.
Choosing the Right Olive Plant
- Some olives are good for oil, others for fruit — preserving and pickling.
- Choose an olive variety that is suitable for your needs.
- You should contact the nearby Cooperative Extension service for varieties that will thrive best in your area.
Planting Olives
- Plant the fruits of the olive in spring or fall. Avoid planting olives in hot, dry summer weather.
- Prepare the planting site of olive in full sun protected from the prevailing wind or wind.
- Again dig a pit half as deep and twice as wide as the tree’s roots. Pour one cup of all-purpose fertilizer into the bottom of the hole.
- Before planting, attach a tree stake (or support wire for a fan). Drive the stake toward the ground at least 2 feet deep to the edge of the hole.
- Set the olive plant in the hole so that the soil mark on the stem from the nursery pot is at surface level or an inch or two deeper than the surrounding soil. (If you are planting a burlapped and balled tree, remove all twine from the planting hole) Spread the roots out in all directions.
- Refill the hole with half native soil and half old compost or commercial organic planting mix. Be firm in the soil so that there are no air pockets between the roots. Build a slight clay basin around the trunk to keep the soil in the water and water at the watering time.
- Secure the olive tree to the stake with tree ties.
- After planting, water the trees thoroughly and fertilize them with a high-phosphorus liquid starter fertilizer.
Container Growing Olives
- You can grow the olive in containers.
- Choose the large tub or pot at least 18 inches deep and wide that is well-drained.
- Plant the trees in a commercial organic potting mix.
- Farmers should keep the soil evenly moist but not too wet.
- Olive fruit grows in a container with an all-purpose fertilizer that is slightly the highest in potassium.
- Repot the olive tree after two years into a container that is 24 inches deep and wide.
Olive Nutrients, and Water and Care
- Olive trees require regular watering until the roots are well established. Mature trees will tolerate periods without water, but they will benefit from regular watering when buds and flowers develop.
- Fertilize trees annually with a few cups of nitrogen, such as blood or cottonseed meals. Avoid over-fertilizing an olive tree; otherwise, it will produce many fruits.
Training Olives
- At planting, starting with a whorl, cut the central leader with an angled cut just above a bud approx 5 feet high. If the seedling has lateral branches, remove any lateral ones less than 18 inches apart. Cut the remaining sides in half.
- During the first summer, cut the main flanks back to about 8 inches from the start of this year’s growth. Cut off the buds that face outwards; Cut new shoots or laterals back to about 6 inches.
- After planting, the second spring cut the central leader back to about one-third of the previous year’s growth.
- In the following springs: Cut the central leader from two-thirds of the previous year’s growth until it reaches the maximum desired height—cut away any dead, damaged or diseased wood. Remove old, unproductive growth to clear congestion in the centre of the tree. Tip, the central leader, cut back to about 1 inch of the previous year’s growth.
Hence, we suggest the VST Tractor, which is optimal for increasing efficiency in the field. Farming requires the most diverse equipment, which plays a major role in agriculture processing. Equipment, harvesters and tractors are the major ones in olive fruit cultivation.
For further knowledge about olive farming and any other farming, stay tuned with us.